Shaping filaments.



R. O. POAG & W. W. KIRK.

SHAPING PILAMENTS.

APPLICATION FILE JUNE 15,1912.

Patented Mar. 25,1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

m m It O t t O n m VEH .W n e i h wm T W Witnesses:

R. 0. POAG & W. W. KIRK.

SHAPING FILAMENTS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNB15,1912.

1,057,088, Patented Mar. 25, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

lllllllllllll l l 2 Witnesses: I g

1 William W. Kirk,

(97/ 1 Robert 0. Poag, fiZ b MW Their DIttorneg.

" Inventors:

' UNITED sra'rns g rnntr OFFICE.

ROBERT O. POAG AND WILLIAM W. KIRK, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO. ASSIGNORS TO GEN- ERAL ELECTRIC COMPANYIMX CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

sHAPINcl FILAMENTS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 15,1912. Serial No. 703.951.

To all 111/107 1'! 1n (I I/ concern Be it known that we, Ronnn'r O. Poacand \VILLIAM \V. Kink, citizens of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga, State of Ohio, have inrented certain new and useful 'Improve-' are desirable for the-light-emitting bodies of "incandescent electric lamps and the like,including particularly automobile and miniature lanips,--and its object. is the provisionof practical and effective means for this purpose.

The practical utility of our invention and various advantages obtainable in connection therewith can best be made apparent through the description of shaping mechanism embodying it. Such a shaping mechanism may in a general way be described as comprising 'deviccs adapted to be rotated with reference to one another so that the filament shall be wound or coiled on one of them, these devices engaging the filament and exerting upon it snfiicient force to'produce this etl'eet. and also yien'ling to allow it to take place. In the simple machine hereinafter described in detail, 'thc device upon which the filament is wound rotates, and the means co-acting with it to produce the winding of the filament holds the latter rather tightly and first yields by approach in}: the rotating device or means. at. the sametime offering sutlicient resistance to the pull of the filament to insure uniformity in the winding. .ln this machine, further more, the means which rotates is adapted to engage an intcrmediae portion of a length 7 of filament thus held at both ends and extending between more or less separated parts at said means. and the action is such that a double winding may be produced. It 15 to be understood. howcver.'that. while our invention evtends to such specific features of the particular structure hereinafter described in detail and to other features of construction and operation and combinations and arrangements of parts comprised in it.'-- -tl1is structure being the best embodiment of the invention at present known to us, so that many of its specific details are of bracket s.

importance because of their specific advantages,-yet the invention is not confined to this structure and its-details, but can be; otherwise carried out. and embodied.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a general view showing in a somewhat diagrammatic way one form ofthe shaping mechanism and a gas chamber that may be used with it, and illustrating-the operation thereof. 'Fig. 2 shows the shaping mechanism by itself. and upon a larger scale. Fig. 3 is a View of the same parts when looked at sidewise. Fig. 4-is a view from above, the upper part of the device being cutaway at; a plane corresponding to the line 4-4 in Fig. 3 and removed to avoid confusion of thedrawing. and a portion'of the base plate on which the machine is mounted being broken away. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary detail section illustrating the mounting of a bearing. Fig, 6 is a broken view, upon-a larger scale than Figs. 2. 3, and 4. of one form of shaping device proper with a filament wound upon it; and Fig. 7 is a similar view of another form of shaping device.

The shaping device or part upon jwhich the filament is wound is a round'spindle or mandrel 1. notched or slotted atone end,

which fits in a hole inthe upper end of spring clips 12 which areadapted to slideon ways consisting of horizontal rectangular portions of brackets 13 form the holding means of the holding device for the length of filament 11in which a coil is to be formed. The. pull of the clips 12 on the filament is produced by weights-J4 .connected to the clips by cables 15 which pass over pulleys 16 at the. outer ends of the It is desirable that. the filament 11 should be. arranged in the clips so as to extend diagonally from the front corners of the jaws of one clip to the rear corners of the jaws of the other as shown in Fig. 4.' Such an arrangement of the filament is in Patented Mar. 25, 1913.

practice more easily reproduced with accuracy than any other that is symmetrical with respect to the axis of the mandrel, so

ample, oi -ordinary pressed tungsten fila ment, which is brittle and cannot be permanently bent when cold),- it may be do sir-able to heatthe filament after it has been coiled in order to set it and prevent'it from uncoilin'g when it is removed from the shaping device 1, or to wind it while in a heated condition. To provide for this, the brackets 13 are, as shown, insulated from one another and from all-other parts, which is accomplished by making of insulating material the bracket part 10 to which they are attached and which carries the bearing 5 of the sleeve 4:. Suitable current leads may be secured to the brackets 13 according to the dotted line arrangement shown in Fig.

1, so that currentmaybe passed through the length of filament between the clips 12 to heat it, a switch 17in the circuit allowmg the operator to do this at :any desired. state of theioperations upon the- 1 filament.

If the heating is to be done after the coiling is completed," it will be necessarythat the mandrel 1 be of insulating material to prevent short circuiting of the coil; but if the heating done during'the coiling, such short circuitlng will'merelyresult in the cool- .ing of the filament as it is coiled and will be unobjectionable. Of course in this latter case t e heating circuit .will includeresistance f such magnitude (five, six,'o'r seven" times that of the length of filament to be dealt with, for example) that the decrease in the resistance offered by the filament due to this short-circuiting wilLnot result an exces sive rise of current.- c

It may,sometimes be necessary or preferable to have'the filament in an environmen't other than the air while it is heated.

To provide for-this, the bracket 10 maybe mounted on a sleeve 19,.which is adapted to slide on a square s andard 20, a spri g 21 whose ends bear against the standard 20 with a degreeof pressure that can be controlled by a nut 22'adjustable on a screw 23 secured in the sleeve 19 serving as a friction device to keep the bracket 10 in any position on. the standard 20 in which'it may be placed, and thejrectangular shape of the standard 20 preventing the bracket 10 .from

turning. After the filament has been placed in the clips '12, the whole mechanism .see what she is doing.

may be raised into an open bottomed gas chamber 24 by means of the arm or handie 25, the chamber 24 beingsupplied with suitable gas (hydrogen or forming gas, for example, in the case of filament of tungsten) through a flexible pipe 26 and supported by the bracket 27 adjustable on the rod 28, and having-a front 29 of transparent or suitably colored glass which allows the operator to As shown, there is an abutment 30 having in its lower end a conical seat or hearing 31 in which the upper end of the mandrel -can be seated by raising the rod flatter the bracket 10 has been elevated to its intended uppermost-p0 sition. Inyth'e structure shown,.this' abutment is a yielding spring pressed member so arranged that thc mandrel 1shall seat in it and push it upward through the bracket 32 against the spring 33 until a collar 34 adjustable on the rod 2 strikes the lowerend of the bearing 4. When employed, such an abutment will serve to insure that the mandrel shall be kept in an accurately ver-' tical position during the coiling operation, and can also be made to aid in giving the filament a specially advantageous shape, as will presently be explained.

A means of preventing injury to the ,filament by premature passing of currentthrough it while in the air is affordedby the arrangementof electrical connections illustrated in full lines in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. As here shown, there is a contact 40 attached to the lefthand bracket 13. In the upward path of this contact as the bracket 10 is raised is a switch '41; consisting of two springy pieces of sheet metal 42 at opposite sides of a plate .43, a block 44 of insulating material intervening between the plate 43 and the standard 20. Then when the operator'raises the device into the gas chamher current will begin to flow through the filament as the bracket 10 approaches the upper end of its travel, the contact dovice or switch 41 serving asa stop to arrest it in its intended uppermost position. The

"bracket 10 having been elevated to its uppermost position, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, the rod 2 is slightly raised from the lowered position which it ordinarily occupies (the set-screw 3 ordinarily-resting 'onth bearing 4 as shown in full lines in Figs."1 and 2" and so preventing the rod from dropping) and manipulated until the fiiament 11 is in the notch or slot between the upper end portions or parts of the ma'ndrel. If the bottom of the notch were straight from one side of the mandrel to the other, it would only .be necessary to further raise the rod 2 until the-adjustable collar 34 struck against the lower endotthe bearing 4, so that the middle of the filament would be bowed or bent upward above the level of the clips 12 and then revolve Jproduce a filament the rod. In order, however, that the completed filament coil may have the form best adapted for mounting in the lamp. 1t is preferable for the bottom of the slot or notch to slant upward from each side of the mandrel to its middle. As shown in Figs. 4 and 6. the sloping sides of the conial upper end of the mandrel 1 may make an angle of 60 with one another while the oppositely sloping portions of the bottom of the slot may make an angle of 9t) with one another. Then as the rod 2 is raised until the collar 3-1 strikes the lower end of the bearing 4. the part of the filament that lies over the end of the mandrel will be raised above the level of the clips 12 and will be forced up into the conical seat 31 and given a V-shape. The filament being at the same tiineihowed or bent upward as shown in Fig. 1 s0 that the portions of it exten-zling from the mandrel to the clips make acute angles with the axis oi rotation of the mandrel. it can be wound into the double threaded screw-like coil shown in Fig, 6 by merely revolving the rod 2 with the hand in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 4 until the clips 12 strike against the mandrel. Further revolution of the mandrel will result in the ends of the shaped filament 11 being pulled out of the clips 12. whereupon the latter will return to the r extreme'outward positions under the inf'inenee of the weights 14, and the completed filament 11 will thus be left free to be removed from the mandrel. The filament being engaged in the jaws of one clip at their front corners and in those of the other clips at their rear corners. the portions which extend between the mandrel and the clips when the clips have approached very clos to the mandrel and are about to strike agai it will lie about parallel with the direction of the ways 13 and the terminal or end portions of the completed filament will be at least fairly straight: whereas it the filament were initially placed in the middle of the clips these end portions would when the clips strike the mandrel ex end slantwise at a very great angle to the direction ofthe ways and the end portions of the completed filament would have an irregular bent form. 0] course the revolution ofthc mandrel can be stopped below the clips strike the mandrel it' it is desired to having a shorter coil Wight tel-inn. "or

portion and longei tions.

The apex of the V- shaped portion of the coil i1 will be found t lend itseli' c.-'pc

ciali ll for engagement with the amhor support comnnnily employed in incandesent lamps; havihg coiled ret ractory metal filaments.

instead of a double threaded scre having both its ltltllilnlls w coil it is easy to produce a single threaded double screw form of coil having its terminals at opposite ends. For this purpose the horizontal portions of the brackets 13 may be arranged at ditferent. clevations, say the right-hand one above the left-hand one,-anfl a mandrel 1 having a deeper notch or slot 50' may be employed, such as that shown in Fig. 7. The brackets 13 may. as shown in Fig. 3, have slots through which extend the screws 61 by which they are secured to the brackets 10. and by shifting one bracket upward and one downward to a proper extent any desired ditference in elevation can be produced. The mandrel 1" will be so arranged with reference to the brackets that when the clips 12 are at their outer positions and the mandrel is raised so that the collar 34 strikes the bearing 4 the filament 11. will be at or near the bottom of the deep slot 50" between the parts of the mandrel. and the portions of it extending from the mandrel to the clips will, again, make acute angles with the axis of the mandrel. Then when the rod 2 is rotated the portion of filament extending to the higher clip will be wound upward on the mandrel and the portion extending to the lower clip will be wound downward, in the manner shown in Fig. 7. When the coiling has been completed and the filament has been disengaged from the clips l2,either after the striking of the clips against the mandrel 1* as above described or otherwise, the completed filament 11" can be removed.

What we claim as new and desire. to seure by Letters Patent of the United States isr-- 1. Mechanism for the production of filament coils comprising a vertical shaping devi e upon which the filament is wound and a device which co-acts therewith in holding the portion of filament that is being wound under tensicn sutticient to produce unitorm winding. said devices being relatively rotatable to cause winding of the lilaincnt upon the former oftheni and yielding and coming closer together as the winding' progresses.

2. Mechanism for the production of lilainent coils comprising relativclv rotatable dei ices; one of which is adapted to engage tin length of filament in which a coil is to be t'ormed so that the rotation shall cause the filament to be wound upon it. and the other of which is adapted to hold the por tion o'l' filament that is being wound under ltln-lflll sutficient. to produce uuit'orin winding while yielding to allow the winding t talte place. said mechanism also comprising means for,maintaining a protective atmos phere about. the portion of filament oper ated upon and means for passing urrent through such portion of filament. to heat it at the same end. I and cause it to retain the form imparted to it and for preventing injury to the filament by passage of current when it is not thus surrounded by the protective atmosphere.

3. Mechanism for the production of filament coils comprising relatively rotatable devices which are also relatively movable in the direction of the axis of rotation and one of which can by such relative movement of the devices in the axial direction be caused to engage an intermediate point of the length of filament in which a coil is to be formed in such manner that with the coac tion of the other as holding means for the portions of filament not in engagement with said shaping device the rotation shall cause the filament to be progressively wound upon the shaping device, said holding means coacting with said shaping device in maintaining on the filament tension sufiicient to cause uniform winding.

4. Mechanism for the production of filament coils comprising relatively rotatable devices one of which comprises .two holding means which hold the ends of the length of filament in which a coil is to be formed and maintain the filament. under tension and the other of which arranged between said holding means and comprises separated portions between which the filament extends. so that when rotation occurs the portion of filament extending on each .side of said latter device to'the holding meanswill be wound upon said device.

5. Mechanism for the production of filament coils conuirising two yielding holding means that hold the length of filament in which a coil is to be formed under tension and a shaping device arranged intermediate said holding means and adapted to initially engage the filament at a point so located with reference to th" holding means that the portions of filament extending from said shaping device to said holding means make acute angles with the axis of rotation. the engagement of the shaping device with the filament being such that when rotation ocurs these portions of filament will be wound upon the shaping device after the manner of a helix.

6. Mechanism for the production of filament coils comprising relatively rotatable devices one of which s adapted to hold a length of filament under tension and'tlte other of which is adapted to engage with said length of filament at an intermediate point displaced in the direction of the axis of rotation with reference to a common plane perpendicular to said axis in which the ends of the length of filament lie, so that when rotation occurs the portions of filament on opposite sides of the latter device will be wound upon it in the same direction along its axis. I

7. Mechanism for the production of filament coils comprising a vertical rotatable mandrel mounted between horizontal insulatively separated ways, holding means for the length of filament in which a coil is to be formed comprising clips adapted to slide on said ways and tending to move in opposite directions with reference to said mandrel so as to maintain the filament under tension, current connections for said ways whereby current can be passed through the filament to heat the same, said mandrel having therein a notch in which the filament can be engaged and being adapted to occupy such a. position with reference to the ways that the portions of filament extending from it to the clips make acute angles with the axis of rotation of the mandrel, so that when the mandrel. is rotated these portions will be wound on the mandrel after the manner of a helix.

8. Mechanism for the production of filament coils comprising a vertically movable part on which are mounted devices adapted to be relatively rotated to produce winding of the filament. an open-bottomed gas chamber mounted so that the said part ca be elevated into it for the winding operation. and connecting means comprising a relatively fixed contact device and also a contact device. carried by said vertically movable part which when said part is elevated into the chamber puts the length of filament in which a coil is to be formed in circuit with a source of heating current.

9. Mechanism for the production of filament coils comprising a vertically movable part on which are mounted devices adapted to be relatively rotated to produce winding of the filament. an open-bottomed gas chamber arranged so that the said part can be elevated into it for the winding operation, and connecting means which when said part is elevated into the chamber puts the length of filament in which a coil is to be formed in circuit with a source of heating current.

In witness whereof, we have hereunto set our hands this 12th day of June, 1912.

ROBERT O. POAG. WILLIAM WV. KIRK.

\Vitnesses FRANCIS M. COWGILL, MARGARET D. KENNE Y. 

